Abstract

Broadband networking is expected to meet demands from consumers of all types for integrated voice, high-speed data, and video communications. These services are thought to give rise to traffic flows very diverse in terms of required channel capacity, channel occupancy, connection duration and connection set-up time. B-ISDN such as ATM are mainly based on optical fiber transmission, large electronic memories and high capacity electronic switches. However, the demand for both high bit rates and flexibility may push electronic technology to its limits even though these limits are constantly expanding.

© 1997 Optical Society of America